Edinburgh Ghost Tour vs Ghost Walk vs Ghost Bus

Edinburgh sells ghost experiences under at least three distinct formats: an underground vaults tour, an above-ground ghost walk, and a comedy horror bus tour. They share a city and a subject but deliver almost nothing else in common.

This guide breaks down what you actually get from each, who each suits, and whether the price difference is justified.

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The Three Formats at a Glance

Option 1: Underground Vaults & Graveyard Tour

What it includes

The featured Haunted Vaults & Graveyard Tour starts at 300 Lawnmarket on the Royal Mile and covers two distinct locations:

Greyfriars Kirkyard (~30 minutes): You enter the kirkyard — not just look at it through the gates — and stop at Greyfriars Bobby’s grave, the Covenanters’ Prison (the locked section where the Mackenzie Poltergeist incidents have been documented since 1999), the Mortsafes (iron cage-frames used to protect fresh graves from body-snatchers), and the Black Mausoleum.

South Bridge Vaults (~45 minutes): You descend a narrow spiral staircase into the sealed 1788 chambers beneath South Bridge. Entry requires stepping down roughly 2 feet at the doorway. Inside, guides walk through four to five vaults with stops at the storage chambers, the site associated with a documented hellfire club, and the chamber the operators describe as most actively haunted. At least one moment of total darkness is included.

The access point

The key distinction between this tour and every other Edinburgh ghost experience is access. The South Bridge Vaults are sealed. Two operators — Auld Reekie Tours and Mercat Tours — hold private access to separate sections of the vault network. Everyone else, including free walking tours, can only walk past the entrances.

Greyfriars Kirkyard is generally open around the clock and free to visit during the day. But the Covenanters’ Prison — the gated inner corner where the Black Mausoleum sits — is locked to the public and accessible only on a tour. Of all Edinburgh ghost tour operators, only City of the Dead Tours holds access to that specific section.

Who this suits

Anyone visiting Edinburgh who wants to see both major ghost-tour sites rather than just hear about them. The price premium over a ghost walk (roughly $8 more) reflects genuine exclusive access — not just better storytelling.

Option 2: Ghost Walk (Above-Ground Storytelling)

What it includes

Above-ground ghost walks stay entirely on the street. A typical route covers the Royal Mile, the closes off the High Street, the old Mercat Cross, and Edinburgh’s history of witch trials, public hangings, and plague. The stories cover many of the same characters as the vaults tour — Major Weir, Burke and Hare, the Edinburgh witches — but without the underground or kirkyard access.

The Dark Secrets of the Old Town Ghost Walking Tour (tour 413318 on GetYourGuide) is the main above-ground comparison point: two hours, above-ground only, covering Canongate Kirkyard and the Old Town closes, from $27 per adult.

Free ghost walks

Several tip-based ghost walks operate on the Royal Mile. They cover similar above-ground content — witches, plague, executions — but operators consistently recommend tips in the £10–£20 range, paid in cash at the end. Most visitors tip somewhere in that range; guides often suggest £15–£25.

Free walks cannot enter the South Bridge Vaults or Greyfriars Kirkyard because neither site is accessible without private lease arrangements.

Who this suits

Budget visitors who primarily want the storytelling rather than site access. Also a good backup option if underground spaces genuinely worry you — the vaults involve a tight staircase, uneven floors, low ceilings (around 6 feet in the main chambers), and at least one period of total darkness.

Option 3: Ghost Bus Tour

What it includes

The Edinburgh Comedy Horror Ghost Bus Tour runs 75 minutes on a vintage double-decker bus — a 1960s Routemaster — around Edinburgh’s Old Town. It is scripted comedy horror rather than historical storytelling: theatrical performances from guides/actors on board, with the bus route providing the backdrop.

The bus drives past ghost-tour sites including Niddry Street (the vault entrance) but does not stop for them. There is no indoor venue entry. The format is accessible to ages five and up and does not involve tight stairs, low ceilings, or extended walking on cobblestones.

Starting price is around $28 per adult on GetYourGuide.

Who this suits

Families with young children (below the 12+ age limit for the vaults tour), comedy horror fans, and visitors who want an Edinburgh ghost experience without physical access challenges.

Price Comparison

What You Don’t Get on the Cheaper Options

The ghost walk and ghost bus cover the history. They do not give you:

• Access to the sealed South Bridge Vaults — the underground chambers are private
• Time inside Greyfriars Kirkyard (the full kirkyard, not just the entrance gate)
• The Covenanters’ Prison (gated to all except City of the Dead Tours)

For most first-time visitors, this distinction matters. Edinburgh’s ghost-tour reputation is built on the vaults and Greyfriars — those two specific sites. Hearing about them from outside is a different experience from going in.

Our Recommendation

If you are visiting Edinburgh for the first time and want the ghost-tour experience the city is known for: book the Haunted Vaults & Graveyard Tour. The $8 difference over the cheapest alternative buys you underground access and kirkyard entry that you cannot get any other way. Free cancellation up to 24 hours before means there is no cost to booking early.

If you have specific constraints — young children, limited mobility, a tight budget — the Ghost Bus Tour or a free walking tour are legitimate alternatives, but they are different products.